Amen. All right, take your Bibles
and turn with me to Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 3. I've entitled this message, A
Just Salvation. A Just Salvation. Let's read in verse, let's begin
our reading again in verse Let's read in verse 20. The apostle
says, therefore, by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be
justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now, conversely, here's that
proof, there's nobody's going to be justified by the law. But
now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested. being witnessed by the law and
the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by the faith
of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe there
is no difference. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has
set forth to be the propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are
past through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at
this time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No. But by the law
of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. A just salvation. Paul says our text is really
going to be found in verse 26 when Paul says to declare. This
is what preachers do. Preachers are not sent to debate,
we're not sent to argue, we're not sent to tickle one's intellect. We are here for a specific purpose
and that is to declare. We simply desire to declare. I say, Paul said, at this time,
what do we declare? His righteousness. His righteousness. Now why is it that we declare
his righteousness? That he might be just and the
justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." Here again the Apostle
is going to settle this same objection. The same objection
he has been settling for almost three chapters now concerning
the justice of God. Remember what it is to be justified. To be justified is to be innocent
of all charges before a just and holy God. That's what it
is to be justified. But what is the objection? The
objection is this, that He's already proved all men are guilty. All men are guilty before God,
verse 23, all have sinned. And what? Fallen short, come
short of the glory of God. What is that? The righteousness
of God. We've fallen short of the righteousness of God. He says before that there is
none righteous. No, not one. There's none that understand
who God is or what God requires. There's none that seeketh after
God. They seek after a God of their
own imagination, seek after a God of their own making, but none
seek after God. There's none that understands.
There's none that seeks after God. They are altogether unprofitable. You put all the works of man
together and they will not budge God or move Him from His just
standard. They will not. Why? Because there's none that doeth
good. How many? No, not one. Not one. This is a troubling truth to
the hearts of man. that the natural man is at enmity
against God. This is the problem. The natural
mind, the carnal mind, is enmity, at war, at variance, in hatred
of God. The man who is condemned by the
law of God This is what Paul had concluded. We're guilty because
we've all broken the law of God. Either it be the law of conscience,
the law of nature, the law written in our hearts, or the law of
Moses. We have broken the law of God. And because this is so,
we will always seek to lower the standard of God in order
to justify ourselves. This is natural. It is always
natural to lower the standard of God so that you can't just jump over something.
We'd all put it at a level where we could get to it. That's what
we do naturally. We want God's justice to be lowered
so we can hop over the bar. We can make it. And so man will
always seek a loophole, a loophole of the law of their conscience,
they will and do naturally believe that somehow, some way, God is
going to show mercy at the expense of His justice. Somehow God's
going to lower that bar of justice so that He can have mercy. Men by nature long for God to
set aside His justice. set aside his wrath, his vengeance
against sin so that he might forgive them. That's how they
believe men are saved. It is somehow God sets aside
his justice, sets aside his anger, and in love and mercy, like an
old grandpa, giving them a quarter. They done bad, but they're really
trying to do good, so I'm going to lower my standard of justice
and let them in. That's how men think about God's
justice. They believe that if they're
just sincere enough. Friends, false religion is sincere,
and I'm not going to put it down. They're sincere. You won't find
a more sincere person than somebody who thinks they can earn God's
favor. They're sincere in their work,
and they believe their sincerity counts toward the justice of
God, that God's going to see their sincerity and somehow lower
the standard for them to get in. But in order to do this, a man
must lower the standard of God's justice. They seek to exalt his
love and diminish his justice. Why don't people read the Old
Testament? Well, they don't like a God like that. They'll tell
you right fast, that God was, he's mean, killing all those
people. I don't like a God like that. Paul refuses to yield to vain
doctrine like that, and so should we. I'm here to declare that's
not the gospel. When God saves a person, he never
lowers his standard of justice. He never lowers his standard
of justice. God is holy. God is just. And so holy is divine
justice, the scripture says, Chapter 2 Paul reminds us he
is no respecter of persons. No respecter of persons. If God's love for his elect and
his purpose to save them somehow moved or lowered his standard,
then listen, God is a respecter of persons. If God says, well this is my
elect people, okay, and I love them and I want to save them.
So what I'm going to do is lower the bar for them. Then what?
God is a respecter of persons, isn't he? He respects them. He
lowered his standard for them. He's a respecter of persons.
God doesn't do that. He is no respecter of persons. His justice is holy. Listen to
what he says two times in Ezekiel 18. Ezekiel 18. The soul that
sinneth, it shall die. And again, the soul that sinneth,
it shall die. Plainer language cannot be spoken.
There's God's standard. Over in Exodus 34, you remember
when God, Moses said, show me your glory. You know what? God
passed by and this is what he, he proclaimed the name of the
Lord and this is what he said. keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression
and sin. All three of them. All of them. Whatever you want to call that,
he named them all. Iniquity, transgression, and
sin. Forgiving. But notice the second characteristic. That's one characteristic of
God. Everybody seems like that. Mercy, forgiveness. But then
they set aside this second character. They don't even say the second
half of that. Notice what it says. And will
by no means clear the guilty. He is a God of mercy. God of
forgiveness. But make no mistake about it.
He is a God of justice. Holy. He will by no means clear
the guilty. So the problem then still persists. If God is just, and He is, if
God is holy, and His standard is holy, if God shall recompense
sin, and every sin shall receive a just reward, and it will, how
then can He show mercy? Seeing all are guilty, That's
what Paul said I before proved. All are guilty. Well, if you're
really guilty, then how could God be just and at the same time
justify you? How can he show mercy, forgive
sins and by no means clear the guilty? So how can God be just? so as not to move his standard
of holy justice and at the same time declare you who are really
guilty really innocent." Justified. To be justified, friends, you
know we always heard that, just as if I never sinned. That's
not true. To be justified means this, you
never sin. God's not pretending. How many
times do I have to say it? God is not pretending in this matter
of holiness. You are either holy or you're
not. There's no middle ground here.
You are either innocent or you are guilty. There's no shades
of gray. And so when God declares somebody
to be justified, He is saying this, you didn't sin. Well, how
can that be seeing this? I did sin. How can God be just and justify
the ungodly? Notice your text. Look at this.
Paul is going to declare it. To declare, I say at this time. What? His righteousness. His righteousness. This is how God can be just and
justify the ungodly. His righteousness. His righteousness. His righteousness meaning the
righteousness of God which is not by the obedience of man.
The righteousness of God which is not merited by the faith of
man. But the righteousness of God
which is merited by the faith of Jesus Christ. This is how
God can be just and justify the ungodly. By a righteousness merited
and earned by Jesus Christ. Behold, Jesus, friends, is the
only wisdom of God that can answer this objection. He's the only
one that can answer this objection. No man or religion can answer
and still maintain the perfect justice of God as well as perfect
mercy. But Jesus Christ alone is the
answer. God who will judge all men declares
this, He is the surety of all his elect. This is how
you and I can be, that God can be just to justify us. Simply
by this, giving us a surety. What is a surety? You remember
that term was used by Judah. Remember when Joseph required
Benjamin to come, and Jacob wouldn't let him go. And then what Judah
says is this, I will be surety for the lad, and if I do not
bring him again to you, let me bear the blame. This is a picture
of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the surety, the
guarantor of our salvation. He is the high priest. He is
the federal head of all the elect of the Father. And so we have
proved that neither the righteousness of God nor the justice of God
could have ever been satisfied by us. Is that not true? Could God ever be just to really
justify you based on your works? Based on your righteousness? No, it could never be. Why? We all have sinned. Isn't that
what he says in verse 23? We all have sinned. There's no
hope of us being just before God by our obedience. Therefore,
in love, God purposed this, that by his Son, that by Jesus Christ,
he should fulfill the righteousness of God. And by His Son, He should
satisfy the justice of God for our sins. Both were necessary.
As we went over Sunday, that the law required both, didn't
it? The law required both obedience,
active, passive obedience. But it also required if there
was sin, that sin must be redeemed. It must be paid. And so Paul says, this was witnessed
by the law and the prophets. This matter of Christ being our
righteousness and redemption, this was witnessed by all of
the Old Testament scriptures beginning at Adam. Remember,
what is the word concerning when Adam sinned, and he had died,
and God came to him. He preached to him the gospel,
didn't he? He said, the seed of the woman. What does that
mean? A man's coming. That's what he declared. A man
is coming. You are a man, Adam, and you
represent a people, but another man is coming. He's not going
to be of your seed. He's going to be the seed of
the woman. And he's going to crush the head of the serpent.
What a good news message that was to them. They knew that sin
was the problem. Christ is going to come and deal
with that sin. And how? By the bruising of His heel.
And you remember He gave them a picture? What's the first picture
of Christ? They were naked, weren't they?
God killed an animal and covered them with its skin. What a picture
of what Christ would come and do. He would come and die and
provide for us a covering, a righteousness that we could not provide. And so God Listen, this matter
of justifying, this is something God determined to do before the
foundation of the world. God purposed to do this for His
elect people, that before there was ever a sin, God purposed
that Jesus Christ should be our Savior. He purposed that Jesus
should, by His own obedience and by His own blood, satisfy
the justice of God for us. You see, he's the second Adam,
who was preferred before the first. He was preferred before
the first. And what happened when the second
Adam came, when he was made flesh as our surety? This is what happened. By his own obedience, he fulfilled
the righteousness of God for us. How can God be just and justify
the ungodly? I declare, by His righteousness,
God can be just and justify the ungodly. By His righteousness. And so how can God be just to
declare us to be righteous who are truly guilty? Now listen,
this is also true. God cannot impute Christ's righteousness
to us without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ paying for our sins.
Sin must be dealt with. Sin must be dealt with. And so
in the same way, listen, this is glorious, the gospel, isn't
it? The same way we were made sinners
is the same way we're made righteous. How were you made a sinner? Wherefore, as by one man's disobedience,
many were made what? Sinners. That's how you were
made a sinner. You were made a sinner when your father sinned,
when my father sinned. Well, how in the world can we
be made righteous? By the righteousness and obedience
of another. Jesus Christ, by the obedience
of one, shall many be made righteous. righteous. But what of our sins? Can God
simply give us Christ's righteousness and somehow dismiss the payment
for our sins? I know this is what we do. We
look at people's, we look at them maybe in sincerity or their
love for us and they've sinned against us and they've robbed
from us, they stole from us, they could even hurt those that
we love. But they come, they start crying, and they start
begging for forgiveness, and what do we do? We set aside our
justice, don't we? Friends, God's nothing like us.
We set aside our justice because that's what we want them to do
to us. If we did something wrong, we would want others to set aside
their justice. God cannot and will not set aside
his justice. to save one sinner. His justice
must be satisfied. So God who made Jesus Christ
to be our righteousness by His perfect obedience, look what
else He did. He made Him to be our Redeemer.
In Romans 3 and verse 24, being justified freely by His grace. How? Not apart from this, but through
this. through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom
God has set forth, ordained, predetermined to be a propitiation. I went over this again Sunday,
but it's a beautiful picture that needs to be repeated. When
he's talking about redemption, he goes right to the great day
of atonement, the great day of atonement, Leviticus 16. And he gives that beautiful,
when that word propitiation was spoken, every Jew in the place
understood he's talking about the great day of atonement, the
mercy seat. When you think about that propitiation
of Christ, you think about a high priest. Great Day of Atonement, God required
a high priest, one chosen of God, to perform the ceremony
of the Great Day of Atonement. One chosen of God. How much more
is Jesus Christ a faithful high priest, chosen of God? Matter
of fact, the apostle says he is not after the order of Aaron,
but after the order of Melchizedek. That means his priesthood is
eternal. So when Jesus Christ, he's talking
about being a propitiation, he's talking about him being the high
priest. To offer an acceptable sacrifice to God for our sins. You remember the priest's clothes?
When he was to offer that sacrifice was fine linen, clean and white. What a picture of Christ's humanity. Our Lord Jesus Christ came into
this world, he was without sin. He was the high priest. He represented
his people. And when he came into this world,
he was a spotless, sinless son of God. And as he lived in this
world, he lived as the spotless, sinless son of God, obeying the
law in humility and submission to God in every way. Could you
ever say you did any of that? Have you always loved God with
all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength,
all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself? Could you do that
for less? You couldn't even do it for a
minute. Our Lord Jesus Christ did it his whole life. And what
was he doing? He was making your righteousness by it. Making our
righteousness. But you remember in that picture
of the great day of atonement, that priest had to offer a sacrifice
for himself. Why? Because he was a sinner.
That priest in the Old Testament was not THE high priest. He was just a picture. And you
remember the offering. There were two goats. The lot
fell upon the one goat, the sin offering. This tells us that
the lot had fallen on Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ to be our
propitiation, God set forth Christ to be our sin offering. And that's
what he said, Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect. God chose him to be the sacrifice
for sins. You remember that goat was killed
that goat was killed and his blood was shed and brought into
the very presence of God. This is what Christ did with
his own blood. He offered not the blood of another. Jesus Christ, in love for his
people, offered his own blood. He was crucified And He brought His own blood
into the presence of God. Why? As payment for sin. Remember, the standard of God's
justice does not move. So in order for us to be justified,
sin must be paid. It must be paid. And the only
price that God has ever accepted for sin is the blood of His Son,
Jesus Christ. And so as the son of man and
son of God, he was crucified and shed his blood. And behold,
the sufferings of Christ were not just physical. You see, Hollywood
will try to put it out there and they'll show you all the
grotesque things that crucifixion is. He suffered physically like no
man has ever suffered. There is no doubt. But his sufferings
were far more than physical. Go to Lamentations. And so as
we see Christ as our propitiation, how we are justified before a
just God is through this propitiation, this offering. Listen to the
words here in Lamentations chapter 3 and see how this fits our Lord
Jesus Christ as he suffered. He said, I am a man that has
seen affliction by the rod of his Wrath. What man could say
that? Now I'll tell you what, Jeremiah,
he was really suffering. Jeremiah, he was in a pit full
of dung and hated by everybody. But I guarantee you this, he
never saw the wrath of God. This is speaking of Christ. Only
Christ had suffered the rod of his wrath. He had led me and
brought me into darkness and not into light. Surely against
me is he turned. He turneth his hand against me
all the day. My flesh and my skin hath he
made old. He hath broken my bones. He hath
builded against me, encompassed me with gall and with travail. He hath set me in a dark place
as they that be dead of old. He hath hedged me about that
I cannot get out. He hath made my chain heavy.
And when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer. Is that
not exactly what he said? My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? Our Lord Jesus Christ suffered
as no man suffered. Why should the Lord Jesus Christ
suffer the wrath of God? If he is the holy, sinless son
of God and God is just, God can't punish an innocent man. God is
just. He's no respecter of persons.
If a man is righteous, he'll treat him righteous. If he is
a sinner, he will treat him as a sinner. How then should God punish his
son who is only righteous and just? Well, that's the picture
of the second goat, isn't it? The second goat was the scapegoat
of our propitiation. The second goat pictured why
Christ was to suffer under the wrath of God. He were to confess
the sins of Israel upon the head of that goat. And that's a picture
of what the Lord God did, is He took our sins and He made
Christ to be sin for us, who in Himself knew no sin. And so by divine power and right
He made him to be sin. Peter said this, He bore our
sins in His own body on the tree. And God being just and no respecter
of persons, what did God do when He found sin in his own son. He poured on him righteous indignation
and wrath. But this is our hope, is that
he's not only a scapegoat, he's the strong man. The strong man
that carried that scapegoat with all those sins on it, carried
that scapegoat into a land uninhabited Jesus Christ being the strong
man bore the justice of God alone, endured it. Isn't this astounding? One man in hell suffering for
his own sins can't endure it. But Jesus Christ being the Son
of God endured the wrath of God for all our sins. And so Jesus bore our sins in
this. He alone satisfied the justice
of God. How can God be just and justify
the ungodly? I declare at this time His righteousness
by the righteous obedience of Christ that is given to me and
by the death of Jesus Christ who paid the full justice of
God for my sins. And what happens to our sin?
The scriptures are plain about this. If you're there in Limitations,
you can turn back a couple of pages to Jeremiah 50, and it
says, In those days, and at that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity
of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none. The sins of Judah, and they shall
not be found. Why can't God find them? You ever thought about that?
I find them, don't you? I can point them out to you.
I can point out mine all day long, every single day. They
plague me daily, my sins plague my conscience. I feel the very
guilt of my soul. I find them all the time. How
is it that God cannot find them? Simply because God Being just was forever satisfied
with the offering of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53 and verse 11, He shall
see of the travail of who's soul? His soul. And be satisfied. So when God looks at the righteousness
of Christ, He says that it is justice that can't be moved.
says this, I'm satisfied. What about our sin? When he looks
at the offering of his son, justice looks at the death of Jesus Christ
and he says, I'm satisfied. I like this, I am he, even he
that blotteth out thy sins as a thick cloud. You see what the
blood of Christ had done? The blood of Christ had blotted
out our debt. That's what they used to do with
the debt. You had a debt, a ledger written down, and back then they'd
take ink and they'd blot it out. No longer to be ever seen or
asked for again. Why? Because it's been paid.
It's been paid. The Son of God has paid for our
sins, listen to these words, in full. In full. And what I like about God being
just, you that believe in Christ and this righteousness is yours,
this justification by this redemption that he's done, it's yours, and
what glorifies God in his justice is this, God cannot demand twice
payment for sin. Could He do that? Is that possible
that God be just and demand twice payment? He can't. Behold, Isaiah, let me see if
I can find that. Look at Isaiah 40. Look at Isaiah
40. What God commands his preachers
to tell you, you that believe, I want you to take this and you
can take it as far as you want to. Listen, I have one purpose
for you and that is to comfort you. This message should comfort you. Listen to what he says. Comfort
ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
and cry unto her. Verse 2, what do we cry? Her
warfare is accomplished. Isn't this by nature what we
were at war with God, at enmity? Did not our sins separate us
from God? Demand the justice of God upon
us? Condemn us? Our sins? What does
he say? That warfare is over. Paul says
that he had made peace by the blood of his cross. Now notice
this, that her iniquity is pardoned. How can God be just and pardon
me? I'm truly guilty. I'm truly guilty. How is that possible? Look, for
she hath received of the Lord's hand, how much? Double. Christ only died once,
but God says it's worth double all her sins. Now get this, you're not going
to make it to heaven by the skin of your teeth. You understand
that? You and I will enter heaven with
the full righteousness of God and no sin at all. Why? Because of His perfect work. His righteousness, I declare
at this time. His righteousness! This is the comfort of God's
people, that we are now at peace with God, and God has given us
this righteousness. Don't you realize that you have
His infinite, eternal love and mercy constantly given to you? constantly given to you? I know
this, you don't feel it all the time, do you? I tell you this,
as a believer, and being honest as I can, I feel, I don't feel
that very often. I don't have those feelings very
often. But one good news about that is, my feelings have nothing
to do with it. You see, it wasn't my feelings
that paid for my sin. It wasn't my feelings of sincerity
that makes my righteousness. Christ is my righteousness. Christ
is my offering. He alone hath paid the justice
of God for our sins. And God says it's doubly good.
It's doubly good. Therefore, Paul asked that question
in Romans 8. Seeing there's no condemnation,
who shall separate us from the love of God that's in Christ
Jesus? Tell me something that's going to separate me from God
now. Seeing my sin is gone, it's paid for, it's done. The righteousness
of God is now imputed, charged to me by God. He justified me. Christ died for me. Now name
something that's going to separate me from His love. Well, you know,
you did this. Nope. He's my righteousness. I'm not looking to what I've
done. I'm looking to what he did. He's my payment for sin. And so we have the love of God
constantly. We have the mercy of God. And
now By the grace of God, we've been given a new nature, His
holy nature. Therefore, we, by faith, lay
hold of Christ as the only means by which God can be just and
justify this ungodly sinner. Isn't that what it says? And
you take a look at that. Go back there and see. his righteousness,
at this time his righteousness, that he might be just and the
justifier of who? Of him which believeth in Jesus. Now, this is vitally important. Are you such a sinner that needs
a perfect righteousness? Or are you one that can provide
for yourself? Are you such a sinner that needs
a perfect offering that you could never offer to God? Have you found your works lacking before a holy judgment of God? Are your offerings of religion
insufficient? You know that picture I just
showed you in Leviticus 17? You know that thing was insufficient?
It could never take away sin? That priest went there year,
after year, after year, after year. You know how many sins
were really atoned for by that priest? None. Why? How do we know that? Because
he had to do it year, after year, after year. This is what religion
does. Well, you got to keep doing this.
You gotta keep on, keep on, keep on. Why? It's not enough. That's
why. But I like this text in Hebrews
10, it says, but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice
for sin, what'd he do? He sat down. Henceforth expecting something,
he's gonna expect something, his enemies to be made his footstool.
For by his one offering he hath perfected. Isn't that what the justice of
God demands? Perfection? Guess what? He hath perfected
forever. That's a long time. Forever. Them that are sanctified. And so then what does the sinner
do? The sinner must look away from his works. He don't have
anything. The sinner must look away from his religious offerings
and sacrifices. And now at this time, behold,
Jesus' righteousness and offering is the only means that God can
be just and justify the ungodly. Believe on him now. You that believe on him, listen,
believe on him now. Believe on him now. Call on Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake His way and the unrighteous man his thoughts.
Stop telling, I think this is what God wants. Put aside your
thoughts of what you think God wants. What does God tell us
He wants? Perfection. What does God demand? Perfection. Where is it found?
His Son. That's it. It's the only place
it's found. It's the only place God can be
just and justify the ungodly. And if you believe on him now,
listen, he will forgive and cleanse and pardon you constantly. Isn't that what you need? I like
that word, He cleanseth us from all our sins. Why? Because it's
a constant, perpetual cleansing. Isn't that what you need? Isn't that what you need? It is! And when John says this,
listen, when God forgives you of your sin, listen, He is faithful
and what? Just. How can he do that? Because sin's paid for. That's
the only way he could do it. Sin had to be paid for and it
was. And so the only offering, the only way then the offering
of Christ can be defiled is this. Listen, the only way this offering
of Jesus Christ can be defiled is this. You put your work to
it. That's the only way it's defiled.
If you put your hand to it, God cannot be just and justify you. Why? Because all your work is
polluted. Imagine in your mind the best
thing you ever did. If you add that to the righteousness
of Christ, God cannot be just and justify you. He can't. He won't. So how, then, is this justification
given? One way. Look back at verse 24. Being
justified. How? Freely by His grace. This is the only way that a man
could be just and justified before God freely, freely by His grace. And you that are justified, this
is the only way you know to be right. There is no way you could
add anything to it. Now then look back at your text
real fast. Go to verse 27 and Paul asks
this question, where then is boasting? Where then is boasting? The religion of men is always
trying to find something to boast in, something to brag about.
I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but maybe some of
your relatives have been baptized in churches today. Boy, they
make a big to-do. They do. Boy, they make a big
celebration, like it's somebody's birthday, or Christmas, or something. They make a big celebration,
and who are they promoting? They're promoting the person
being baptized. They're promoting the person.
Oh, good job. You made a decision for Jesus.
Oh, man, that's just great. You did a wonderful job. Who
are they promoting? The man. Religion is always promoting
the man. Always exalting the man. Vain
religion believe God's love He wants to save sinners, Jesus
came in the world to make salvation possible for everybody, and if
you just would do X, now this is what religion differs on,
is the X, whatever that is. Now God did everything He could
do, but you have to do X. Now listen, if that is true,
and you do X, whatever that is, Listen, and somebody else doesn't,
you have room to boast. You have room to boast. If salvation
comes by the free will of man, then man has a right to boast,
to glory. Why? Because he did something
that other people have not. So they all have this in common.
is this matter of boasting in man, man's ability, man's means
within himself to merit the favor of God by either a volition of
his will or an act of his work. Now, if a man can contribute
one thing to the work of Christ, then he has reason to glory.
But what does our gospel say? Where then is boasting? Listen
to these words. It is excluded. When the gospel is preached that
salvation is completely by the grace of God, all boasting and
glorying of man is excluded. It's excluded. It's a matter
of justification by grace. All boasting is excluded. If
my gospel ever gives you reason to glory in yourself, then I'm
not preaching the gospel. We who believe on Jesus Christ,
we must constantly affirm that if we are saved, it is by the
grace of God. If we are justified, it is justified
by free grace. by unmerited favor. Remember later on the Apostle
is going to talk about grace and works. In Romans 11 he said,
if it is of grace it is no more of what? Works. Otherwise, grace
is no more grace. And if it is of work, it is no
more of what? Grace. It's either or. It is never a combination of
the two. Salvation is by the grace of
God Alone. Why? So that boasting is excluded. All glory is excluded. Paul says the same thing in 1
Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 30. God says that by the foolishness
of preaching, that's how men are saved, through the foolishness
of preaching. by the power of God. And why
did he do this? Verse 29, that no flesh should
go in his presence. But of God are you in Christ
Jesus. You in Christ Jesus? You that believe, you know you're
in Christ Jesus. Are you in Christ Jesus? Who put you there? Was it a cooperative effort,
Eric? Cooperative? No, it wasn't. No, it wasn't. God put you in Christ Jesus. Why made Jesus my Savior? No,
he didn't. But of God are you in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom. How do you know these
things? How do you have this wisdom and
others don't? How do you believe on Jesus Christ
and others don't? God made him to be my wisdom,
my righteousness. Do you contribute to your righteousness?
No, God made him to be my righteousness. What about sanctification? That's
a big one today. Well, Jesus is all my righteousness.
He's all my wisdom. But that's sanctification. I've
got to contribute. Really? You really want to contribute
to holiness? How are you going to do that?
You can't. Everything you do is mixed with
sin. No, God made him to be all my sanctification and all my
redemption. Why? So that no flesh should
glory in his presence. I'm not going to get any glory
for this. No glory whatsoever. You that believe, who do you
glory in? Who do you boast in? I boast in Jesus Christ. I boast
that I am justified before a just and holy God by Jesus Christ
alone. Boasting is excluded. He said,
by what law? By works? No. That's silly. If it was of works, then you'd
have something to boast of. But he says this, by the law
of faith. Why does he say it that way, law of faith? Well,
two reasons. First of all, without faith,
nobody could ever confess that they're justified before God. I'm getting there. Yes, that's
exactly right. Hebrews 11 verse 6. Without faith,
it is impossible to please God. Faith is necessary. Faith is
necessary. It is a law of necessity. And
it is the law by which every believer lives. But know this, faith is no work
of man. Faith is the work of God. Go
to John 6, I'll close with these words. Look at John 6. Our Lord Jesus Christ. Look at John 6. And verse 29, and Jesus answered
and said unto them, they want to see a work of God. They want
to see a miracle again. They just saw one. I mean, he
fed off 5,000 people with just a few pieces of bread. And they
said, oh, we want to see more. Every day you need to give us
bread in order for us to follow you. He said, no, this is the work
of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent. You that believe.
Is faith a work of man's will, or is it a work of God? Jesus
said it's a work of God. This is the work of God, that
you believe on him whom he has sent. And then he preaches the
gospel to him. He says, I am the bread of life.
I am the manna which came down from heaven. And notice he says
this in verse 38. You see, verse 35, Jesus said
to them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger. He that believeth on me shall
never thirst. But I said it unto you, that you also have seen
me and not believed. All that the Father giveth me,
what are they going to do? They're going to believe. They
shall come to me. And when they do, how am I going
to treat them? I will in no wise cast them out. Why? For I came
down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him
that sent me. And this is the Father's will which has sent
me, that of all he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but
raise it up again at the last day. And this is the Father's
will which has sent me, that of all which he hath given, I'm
sorry, and this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone
which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life,
and I will raise him up at the last day. Then they began to
complain. You know what? People complain about this message
of sovereign grace all the time. Let them murmur. They're going
to murmur. Jesus said, why are you murmuring?
Look at verse 44. No man can come to me except the Father which has sent me
draw you. So boasting is excluded by this
matter of the law of faith. Faith is a gift of God. It is
a work of God. You cannot come to Christ except
the Father give you life, except the Father give you faith, and
you that believe. Why is it you continue? Joanne,
you've been here a long time, believing a long time. Who gave
you all that faith? Every day you've had faith up
until this moment, and yet who gives that faith? Continually,
perpetually giving that faith of obedience. That's what Peter
calls it, obedience. 1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter 1 and verse 2, it says,
elect according to the foreknowledge of God through sanctification
of the Spirit unto obedience. What's he talking about? Did
you all start obeying the law? Is that what happened? No, the
obedience, he's talking about his faith. You heard the necessity
of faith and you obeyed. How'd you do that? By the grace
and the power of God who had sent Christ to be your righteousness
and your redemption. Christ sent Him to be your righteousness
and redemption. Christ accomplished your righteousness and redemption.
And by the power of the Holy Spirit, now you are quickened
and believe on Him. Who gets the glory for that? Boasting is excluded. How? By
faith. Because faith, Paul said this,
it is of faith and that by grace. For what purpose? That it may
be sure to all to see. Now if faith were dependent on
you, how sure would it be? How sure is your faith? You can't brag in your faith.
You can't brag that you have faith. You can give glory to
God that you have faith, but there's no boasting in this gospel
of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ, the
only way God can be just and justify this ungodly sinner is
by the righteousness and redemption of Jesus Christ. That's it. And
how is this given to me? Given to me through faith. Through
faith. Is there boasting? Is there any
way that you can brag about your faith? No, you didn't come up
with it. And you ain't keeping it. But
I'm sure of this. All who are justified before
God are kept. Peter said that, didn't he? Kept
by the power of God. What kind of power keeps you
here? What kind of power keeps you
listening to this same message over and over and over again? What is it? It's the power of
God, isn't it? It's the power of God. So the believer glories
in who? God. Through Christ that he might
be just and justifier of them that believeth in Jesus. I do long that all messages I
preach glorify Christ. Is there any message you want
to hear about you? There's no hope in me. My hope
is in Him. Therefore, my glory belongs only
to Him. I pray God will bless us. Let's
stand, dismiss, and pray, please. Oh, Father, dismiss us with Your
mercies and pour out Your grace. Send Your Spirit to make application
of the Word to exalt Your glory. your majesty, your power, your
justice, your grace, and your mercy. Show us Christ again and again. Let us find peace and joy in
Him. And abase ourselves before you. Forgive us our sins in Jesus'
name. Amen.